Frequently Asked Questions
About StepShift
Who is Kevin McMahon?
Kevin McMahon is StepShift’s Executive Coach & Consultant, bringing over 20 years of experience in leadership development and executive coaching. He partners with leaders and organizations throughout New Zealand to achieve critical business results through enhanced leadership performance.
How long has StepShift been in business?
StepShift has been operating since 2002, giving us over 20 years of experience in executive coaching and leadership development. We have a proven track record of helping leaders and organizations achieve their critical business objectives.
What’s StepShift’s experience and track record?
We have worked with leaders across diverse industries including healthcare, technology, retail, commercial services, and manufacturing. Our clients range from SMEs to large corporates, all sharing an ambitious vision for their business and recognizing that achieving this vision requires optimized leadership performance.
Where is StepShift located?
StepShift provides services throughout New Zealand, with particular focus on Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. We travel to meet clients at their preferred locations and also offer virtual coaching sessions when appropriate.
What areas do you service?
We provide executive coaching and leadership development services throughout New Zealand. Our main service areas include Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and regional centers. We’re committed to working with clients wherever they’re located to ensure accessibility to our services.
What makes StepShift different from other executive coaches?
Our approach is pragmatic and results-focused. We encourage open, honest discussion and are comfortable challenging clients where necessary. We provide structured yet flexible support to improve leadership insights, behaviors, and strategies. Our 20+ years of experience and proven methodology, combined with our commitment to ensuring client success, sets us apart in the leadership development field.
Executive Coaching Services
What is executive coaching?
Executive coaching is a confidential, one-on-one development process that empowers leaders to achieve critical results through enhanced leadership. It focuses on identifying and working on areas that will make the most impactful and sustainable change to leadership effectiveness and business outcomes.
Who benefits from executive coaching?
Executive coaching benefits leaders at all levels who want to deliver superior results and need to give attention to the quality and impact of their leadership. This includes executives in new roles, experienced leaders looking to “up their game,” leaders facing significant challenges, and those needing a trusted sounding board.
What does executive coaching involve?
Our executive coaching involves confidential sessions tailored to your specific needs. We work on areas such as self-management and resilience, relationship management and communication, people engagement and accountability, and achieving critical business outcomes. The process is structured yet flexible, focusing on practical application and measurable results.
How long does executive coaching take?
The duration of executive coaching varies depending on your specific goals and circumstances. We work with clients to determine the appropriate timeframe, which can range from short-term focused interventions to longer-term development programs. The key is ensuring sufficient time to achieve sustainable change and measurable results.
What areas do you focus on in coaching?
We tailor our coaching to your specific needs, but common focus areas include:
- Self-management and resilience
- Relationship management, communication and influence
- People engagement, accountability and performance
- Achieving critical business outcomes
- Leadership transition and role changes
- Team leadership development
- Leading effectively in change environments
When is executive coaching most valuable?
Executive coaching is particularly valuable in five key situations:
- Transition: Support and guidance through a change of role
- “Upping my game”: Building leadership capability to improve results
- Sounding board: Confidential support to keep you operating at your best
- Team leadership: Developing strong team leadership skills
- Change environment: Leading skillfully in an environment of business change
Is coaching confidential?
Yes, executive coaching is completely confidential. We provide a safe, private environment where you can discuss challenges, explore options, and develop strategies without concern about confidentiality. This confidential space is essential for honest reflection and meaningful development.
What’s your coaching methodology?
We use a proven executive coaching methodology that focuses on identifying and working on areas that will make the most impactful and sustainable change. Our approach is pragmatic and results-focused, encouraging open discussion while being comfortable to challenge where necessary. We provide structured yet flexible support tailored to your specific leadership development needs.
Leadership Team Development
What is leadership team development?
Leadership team development focuses on creating high-performing leadership teams that operate at their best to achieve critical results. It involves facilitating senior teams to overcome challenges or dysfunction and build the alignment and accountability needed to take the organization to the highest level of performance.
How do you develop leadership teams?
We facilitate senior teams through a structured process designed to build cohesion and alignment. Our approach addresses team dynamics, strategic alignment, accountability systems, and leadership modeling. We work with teams to overcome any existing dysfunction and establish sustainable high-performance practices.
What makes a high-performing leadership team?
High-performing leadership teams are characterized by members who are:
- Clear and aligned on business strategy and critical goals
- Supportive of each other’s roles and of each other personally
- Highly accountable for delivery of key outcomes
- Focused on what’s best for the team and the organization
- Inspiring leadership role models for staff
How long does team development take?
Team development timelines vary based on the team’s starting point, specific challenges, and desired outcomes. We work with teams to determine the appropriate duration, which may involve intensive workshops, ongoing facilitation sessions, and follow-up support to ensure sustainable change.
What outcomes can we expect?
The primary outcome is a seriously enhanced ability to deliver the organization’s critical results. Teams typically experience improved strategic alignment, better communication and collaboration, increased accountability, enhanced decision-making processes, and stronger leadership modeling throughout the organization.
Do you work with the whole team together?
Yes, we work with the entire leadership team together, as team development requires collective participation to be effective. We may also include individual coaching components where appropriate, but the core work involves the team working together to build alignment and accountability.
What if our team has dysfunction or conflict?
We specialize in helping teams overcome challenges and dysfunction. Our facilitation process is designed to address underlying issues, improve communication, build trust, and establish productive working relationships. We’re experienced in navigating difficult team dynamics and creating positive change.
Leadership Consulting
What is leadership consulting?
Leadership consulting involves partnering with businesses to achieve critical results through people leadership. We assist organizations during periods of change, turnaround, or growth by aligning leadership performance with the delivery of important business goals.
When do businesses need leadership consulting?
Leadership consulting is particularly valuable when businesses are experiencing:
- Periods of significant change or transformation
- Turnaround situations requiring enhanced leadership
- Growth phases where leadership capability needs to scale
- Critical strategies and goals that depend on people performance
- Situations where leadership, people performance, and business performance need alignment
How is consulting different from coaching?
While coaching focuses on individual leader development, consulting takes a broader organizational perspective. We work with businesses to optimize the alignment between leadership capability, people performance, and business results. Consulting often involves strategic advice, organizational assessment, and system-wide interventions.
What types of business situations do you help with?
We help businesses facing various challenges including organizational change, growth management, performance improvement, leadership transitions, strategic implementation, and situations requiring enhanced people leadership to achieve critical business objectives.
Do you work with growing businesses?
Yes, we frequently work with growing businesses that need to scale their leadership capability to match their business growth. Growth often requires enhanced leadership focus, improved people management, and stronger organizational alignment – all areas where we provide valuable support.
What about businesses in turnaround situations?
We work with businesses in turnaround situations where leadership performance is critical to success. These situations often require rapid improvement in leadership effectiveness, people engagement, and business performance – areas where our consulting approach can make a significant impact.
Process & Approach
How does the process work?
Our process begins with understanding your specific situation and objectives. We then design a tailored approach that may include individual coaching, team development, or organizational consulting. Throughout the engagement, we maintain close communication, provide structured support, and focus on achieving measurable results.
What’s your methodology?
Our methodology is based on over 20 years of experience and focuses on practical, results-oriented interventions. We use proven frameworks while tailoring our approach to your specific needs. Our methodology emphasizes sustainable change, measurable outcomes, and alignment between leadership development and business results.
How do you measure success?
We measure success through both quantitative and qualitative indicators including achievement of specific business objectives, improved leadership effectiveness, enhanced team performance, increased staff engagement, and sustained positive change. We work with clients to establish clear success metrics at the beginning of each engagement.
What’s included in your services?
Our services include comprehensive assessment, tailored development programs, ongoing support and coaching, practical tools and frameworks, progress monitoring, and follow-up to ensure sustainable change. We provide whatever support is needed to achieve your leadership development objectives.
How do you tailor your approach?
We tailor our approach based on your specific situation, objectives, organizational culture, and individual preferences. No two engagements are identical – we design each program to address your unique challenges and opportunities while leveraging proven methodologies and best practices.
Do you provide ongoing support?
Yes, we provide ongoing support to ensure sustainable change and continued development. This may include follow-up coaching sessions, progress reviews, additional development opportunities, and access to resources and tools that support continued growth.
Specific Leadership Situations
How do you help with leadership transitions?
We provide comprehensive support during leadership transitions including role clarification, stakeholder mapping, early wins identification, team assessment, communication strategies, and ongoing coaching to ensure successful transition into new leadership roles.
What support do you offer for new leadership roles?
For new leadership roles, we provide orientation support, stakeholder relationship building, team development, strategic planning assistance, and ongoing coaching to help new leaders establish credibility and achieve early success in their positions.
How do you help someone become a better leader?
We work with leaders to identify specific development areas, create targeted improvement plans, provide practical tools and strategies, offer ongoing coaching and feedback, and support the implementation of new leadership behaviors that drive better results.
What does it mean to be a trusted sounding board?
As a trusted sounding board, we provide confidential support where leaders can discuss challenges, explore options, test ideas, and gain perspective on complex situations. This ongoing relationship helps leaders stay operating at their best and make better decisions.
How do you support leaders in change environments?
We help leaders develop change leadership skills including communication strategies, stakeholder engagement, resistance management, team motivation, and personal resilience needed to lead effectively during periods of organizational change.
What about developing team leadership skills?
We focus on developing skills such as team building, delegation, performance management, conflict resolution, communication, and creating team accountability. These skills are essential for leaders who need to achieve results through their teams.
Do you address SME leadership challenges?
Yes, we understand the unique challenges facing SME leaders including resource constraints, multiple role demands, growth management, and the need to build leadership capability while managing day-to-day operations. Our approach is tailored to the SME environment.
Results & Outcomes
What results can we expect?
Clients typically experience optimized leadership impact, high staff engagement and performance, and improved business performance and results. Specific outcomes vary but often include enhanced decision-making, better team performance, increased accountability, and achievement of critical business objectives.
How do you measure success?
We measure success through achievement of agreed objectives, improved leadership effectiveness assessments, enhanced team performance metrics, increased staff engagement scores, and most importantly, the achievement of critical business results that matter to your organization.
What do your clients say?
Our clients consistently report significant value from our services. For example:
- “They deliver that differentiated advantage in your people” – Jennifer Luke, Smith & Nephew
- “Coaching continues to deliver value far beyond the investment” – Max Alexander, New Zealand Trucks Ltd
- “Stepshift was far superior to previous leadership coaching with quicker results” – Angelina De Swardt, Ngahuia Group Ltd
How quickly do you see results?
Results timelines vary depending on the situation and objectives. Some clients see immediate improvements in clarity and focus, while sustainable behavioral change and business impact typically develop over several months. We work with clients to establish realistic timelines and milestone expectations.
What’s the ROI of leadership development?
The ROI of leadership development is typically substantial, though it varies by situation. Benefits include improved business performance, increased staff engagement and retention, better decision-making, enhanced organizational capability, and achievement of critical business objectives that might not otherwise be possible.
Do you guarantee results?
We are 100% committed to ensuring you succeed. While we cannot guarantee specific outcomes due to the many variables involved, we guarantee our full commitment to your success and will work tirelessly to help you achieve your leadership development objectives.
Practical Information
How much does it cost?
Investment levels vary depending on the scope and duration of the engagement. We provide transparent pricing based on your specific needs and objectives. We’re happy to discuss investment levels during an initial consultation to ensure our services align with your budget and expectations.
How do we get started?
Getting started is simple – contact us to discuss your requirements. We offer an initial consultation to understand your situation, explore how we can help, and determine the best approach for your specific needs. From there, we can design a tailored program to meet your objectives.
What’s the time commitment?
Time commitments vary based on the type of service and your specific needs. Executive coaching typically involves regular sessions (often monthly or bi-weekly), team development may require workshops and ongoing sessions, and consulting engagements are tailored to project requirements.
Where do sessions take place?
Sessions can take place at your office, our offices, or neutral venues – whatever works best for you. We’re flexible about location and can travel throughout New Zealand to meet with clients at their preferred locations.
Do you offer virtual sessions?
Yes, we offer virtual coaching and consulting sessions when appropriate. Virtual sessions can be particularly effective for ongoing coaching relationships and can provide greater scheduling flexibility while maintaining the quality of our service delivery.
How often do we meet?
Meeting frequency depends on your needs and the type of service. Executive coaching often involves monthly or bi-weekly sessions, team development may include intensive workshops followed by regular check-ins, and consulting engagements are scheduled based on project requirements and client preferences.
Client Success Stories
What types of clients do you work with?
We work with leaders and organizations across diverse industries including healthcare, technology, retail, commercial services, manufacturing, and professional services. Our clients range from SMEs to large corporates, all sharing ambitious visions for their businesses.
Can you share success stories?
We have helped leaders achieve significant improvements in their effectiveness and business results. Our clients report enhanced leadership capability, improved team performance, successful navigation of major changes, and achievement of critical business objectives they might not have reached otherwise.
What industries do you serve?
We serve clients across multiple industries including healthcare (like Healthlink), technology (like New Zealand Trucks Ltd), retail (like Ngahuia Group Ltd), commercial services (like RCP), professional services, manufacturing, and many others. Our approach is adaptable to different industry contexts.
Do you work with SMEs and large corporates?
Yes, we work with both SMEs and large corporates. Our approach is tailored to the specific context and needs of each organization, whether that’s a growing SME needing to scale leadership capability or a large corporate requiring enhanced executive performance.
What size organizations do you help?
We work with organizations of all sizes, from small businesses with emerging leadership teams to large corporates with complex leadership structures. The key factor is not size but the organization’s commitment to achieving better results through enhanced leadership.
Geographic Coverage
Do you work throughout New Zealand?
Yes, we provide services throughout New Zealand. While we have particular focus on Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, we work with clients in regional centers and other locations across the country.
Can you travel to our location?
Absolutely. We regularly travel to meet clients at their preferred locations throughout New Zealand. We believe in making our services accessible and convenient for our clients, regardless of their location.
Do you offer services in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch?
Yes, we provide comprehensive services in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. These are our main service centers, and we have extensive experience working with leaders and organizations in these major business centers.
What about regional areas?
We also serve clients in regional areas throughout New Zealand. We’re committed to providing access to high-quality leadership development services regardless of location and are happy to travel to regional centers to work with clients.
Getting Started
How do we contact you?
You can contact us through our website at www.stepshift.co.nz or reach out directly to discuss your leadership development needs. We’re responsive to inquiries and look forward to exploring how we can help you achieve your objectives.
Do you offer free consultations?
Yes, we offer initial consultations to understand your situation and explore how we can help. This consultation allows us to discuss your needs, explain our approach, and determine whether there’s a good fit between your requirements and our services.
What information do you need from us?
To provide the most helpful initial consultation, it’s useful to know about your current leadership challenges, specific objectives, organizational context, and any particular areas where you’re seeking development or improvement. However, we can start with whatever information you’re comfortable sharing.
How quickly can we start?
We can typically start working with new clients quite quickly, often within a few weeks of initial contact. The exact timeline depends on the scope of the engagement and our current commitments, but we’re generally able to accommodate urgent needs when necessary.
What’s the first step?
The first step is simply to get in touch. Contact us to arrange an initial conversation where we can understand your situation, discuss your objectives, and explore how our executive coaching and leadership development services can help you achieve your goals.